


& you're by my side

by giftedsun



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Riding horses, Wild West AU, and chikariko!!!, kind of, performing duos, yay, youchan best wingman 2k4ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giftedsun/pseuds/giftedsun
Summary: alternative title: the good, the bad, and the lesbianchika is wild & free. riko is bound by society.
Relationships: Sakurauchi Riko/Takami Chika
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	& you're by my side

From the beginning, the cowboys had been nothing but a menace.

Since she was young, Riko hated them, just as her mother had. They would always fly by as the two walked in town, kicking up dirt, sending Mrs. Sakurauchi into a coughing fit. 

“Riko, let’s go inside,” She would say, grabbing her daughter’s wrist. Riko, obedient even then, would follow suit, stealing one more glance at them. 

They always looked so wild and fierce and free, everything Riko wasn’t, everything she couldn’t be. Especially the women. Free of corsets, tight hairdos, and husbands, they were everything Riko’s mother warned about, everything Riko couldn’t be.

So, when Riko was 21, the two cowgirls who came knocking on her door brought about a serious clash of Southern hospitality against her mother’s morals.

“Hiya,” said one, with grey hair and a beaming grin, “My friend and I were wondering if you possibly had some lodging for us. Just for the night, of course, and then we’ll be out of your hair by the morning.”

Riko found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the woman’s trousers, not hearing a single word she said. 

“We’re super low-maintenance,” said the second women, slightly shorter, and with the prettiest orange hair, “you wouldn’t even notice that we’re here!”

“Ah, yes,” said Riko, meeting their eyes for the first time. “I’ll have to ask my mother, and she’s out right now, but please, come in. I’m Sakurauchi Riko.”

“Takami Chika,” greeted the orange-haired one, “and this is Watanabe You.” 

“You’ll have to change,” said Riko, as Chika and You stepped in, “Not that there’s anything wrong with what you’re wearing! It’s just— ah— my mother is very old fashioned, and she probably won’t let you stay if you’re dressed, well, like that— but you can borrow something of mine.”

Biting back a laugh, Chika followed Riko and You dutifully up the stairs, into the girl’s own room. 

“Here,” said Riko, indicating two simple dresses, “These don’t have too many ribbons or frills or anything, but they’re good enough. Please, come downstairs when you’re done changing, and we can talk more.” 

“Oh my god, You-chan,” said Chika, as soon as the door closed. “She is seriously cute.”

“Chika! You cannot get attached to these country girls. They can never commit, and we’re never in town for long enough to make them want to commit.”

“Just because you had one bad experience,” pouted Chika.

“We’re only here for a night, anyways.”

“Unless…”

“No unless!” said You, throwing up her arms. “One night, Chika. One.”

“But what if it’s time to come home, You-chan. We’ve been rollicking all over the country for years, now. I love it— I love having fun with my best friend. But we’re older, now. It could be time— ”

A quick rap at the door cut Chika off. “Are you all changed? My mother is due back anytime now.”

“Almost ready!” yelled Chika, despite still being in her trousers. “One second!”

When the two girls descended the stairs, they found Riko sitting at a table, with three gently perspiring glasses of lemonade in front of her. 

“Well, my mother has come and gone, but she’s agreed that we can put you up for the night. If you’d like to put your horses in our stables, that can be done now, as well.”

Quickly, Chika elbowed You in the side. “R-Right! I can get that done right away.” 

“I’d love to come visit them before you leave tomorrow,” said Riko, smiling. “My horse is in there as well, but Prelude is very gentle. There shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Perfect!” exclaimed You. “I’ll see you two in a bit, then.”

As Chika sat across from Riko, she couldn’t help but notice the other girl’s small frown. “What’s wrong?” She asked, taking a sip of lemonade, “The thought of keeping us for a night is that bad, huh?”

“What?” Riko shook her head. “Oh, no, that’s not it,” she said, rising, walking over to where Chika sat. “Well, I was just thinking about it, and the whole cowgirl-trousers ensemble suits you much better,” Absentmindedly, Riko smoothed the dress around Chika’s shoulders.

“Wait, do I know you from somewhere? You look awfully familiar.”

“Ah, my mother lives in Uchiura. She looks just like me, but shorter.” Chika replied, aware of Riko’s hand, still on her shoulder.

“Right— the Takamis. How come you aren’t staying with them? Are you two— are you two in trouble? Because we won’t cover for you or anything!” said Riko, frantically snatching her hand away from Chika’s shoulder. 

“Relax,” said Chika, turning and taking Riko’s hand in her own, “You-chan and I don’t want to bother our families. We’ve both been gone from home for a while, and coming back would cause too much of an uproar. We’re just stopping here for a night, then heading on— at least, that’s what You wants…”

“You feel differently?” asked Riko. A strange blush was beginning to rise on her cheeks. She kept hold of Chika’s hand.

“Well…” began Chika, but the swing of the opening door made her pause.

“Mother!” exclaimed Riko, quickly dropping Chika’s hand. “This is Takami Chika, one of the young women staying with us. I’ll start dinner now that you’re home.”

* * *

Dinner passes with little advent, and before she knows it, Chika finds herself wide awake in the Sakurauchi’s guest room, You snoring on Chika’s other side. 

“Psst, You-chan,” Chika murmured, elbowing the other girl in the side. You doesn’t budge. Chika cursed her best friends’ ability to sleep deeply as she sat up and slid her foot into a slipper. She would just pop downstairs for a second, grab a cup of water. 

Riko, however, is seated at the dining room table, watching as Chika makes her way down the stairs.

“Takami-san,” she said, startled, as Chika reached the ground floor. “You’re awake. It’s nearly midnight.”

“A lot on my mind,” Chika said as way of explanation. “Hoping for a cup of water.”

“Oh! Of course.” Riko responds, rising from the table. 

“No, no, don’t worry about it.” Chika made her way past Riko before the other girl could even move. “Anything on your mind, Riko?”

“Ah, always…” the girl trailed off. “What’s it like… living as you do? With no attachments, or obligation, even?”

Chika sat in front of her. “It’s…” she thought, “It’s hard. I miss being attached or tied down. You-chan doesn’t, but I can’t help but want to settle down.”

“What do you two even do out there?”

“We ride our horses from place to place, looking for somewhere that will let us perform. We’re a musical duo, actually! We call ourselves Deux Pecher.” 

“Deux Pecher?” Riko asked, laughing softly.

“You-chan found it in a book. Or made it up, maybe. I’m still not sure.”

“But you don’t want to stop performing, right?” Riko furrowed her brow. “What if you set up a permanent locale?” 

* * *

Riko’s current plan: Convince the cute performer cowboy to stay in town.

Chika’s current plan: Convince You to let them stay in town so she could see the cute country girl.

“Watanabe You, please! You’ll be with your family, and we’ll still be doing what we love, just... here!” Chika begged, clutching You’s hand, outside the Sakurauchi house.

“All this for a girl, Chika?”

“A  _ really cute _ girl!”

You sighed. “Are you at least going to tell her you’re staying for her?”

Chika echoed her best friend’s sigh. “No… I’ll just tell her that Uchiura is the best place for us! The only place we can perform at our best!” 

“... Fine. We'll try it.”

* * *

The next few months flew by, full of tearful reunions, a search for an appropriate place to perform, and many, many visits to Riko’s house.

“Um, Chika, I’m not sure how much I can help construct your set.”

“I’m sure you can do something!”

and similar situations persisted, with Chika contriving more and more excuses for Riko to help out with the preparations for Deux Pecher’s grand re-debut. Suspiciously, You would make herself scarce during these meetings, and Chika would find more and more excuses to touch Riko, and Riko would grow more and more blushy. 

Taking the horses out together had been an idea of You’s creation. Chika had beamed with delight when the other girl brought it up. 

“Perfect, You-chan! She’ll definitely see how I feel, now!”

They rode Shiitake and Prelude side by side, galloping quickly out of Uchiura and into the wilderness that surrounded the town. Riko led them to a wide canyon, gaping underneath a pink-and-orange sunset.

“Let’s dismount, Chika,” she called, gesturing to the view ahead, “Let’s look at the view.”

They both left the horses behind, pausing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the canyon.

“Riko,” Chika said, turning her head to look at the other girl. “You have to know how I feel about you by now, but…”

“I’m not going to ride off into the sunset with you, Chika,” Riko swore, even though she was considering it more and more, watching Chika’s lips dip closer and closer to her own. It was such a perfect moment with the sunset glowing far beyond them, Shiitake safely tethered with Prelude somewhere, although Riko couldn’t care less about the horses. No, her entire focus was completely on Chika, and her stupid lips, hovering just above her own.

“What is there to lose?” Chika whispered, as Riko felt and heard it just the same. “Give me one good reason. One, and I’ll stop. I’ll leave Uchiura.”

“But you need to be here. To perform. To— I don’t know, Chika, whatever’s kept you here for months.”

Chika laughed, a quiet, frustrated laugh. “You believed that? Riko, darling,” and Riko feels her chest clench at the endearment, and does not chalk it up to tight corset strings, “I stayed for you.”

“But You-chan—” Riko protests.

“I don’t want to talk about You-chan. Not when,” and Chika pauses, falters for what’s probably the first time in her life. “One reason, Riko,” she says again, softly, pressing her thumb against Riko’s cheek. “One good reason.”

“My mother wants me to marry,” Riko says.

“We can do that,” replies Chika, not even blinking as Riko sighs.

My mother wants me to marry a man,” she adds, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. “She would never accept this, could never understand this.” Riko casts her eyes onto the dirt, russet staining her boots and the hem of her dress.

“But can you?” Chika asks, pushing Riko’s chin up with her thumb. “If you’re happy— if we’re happy— is that not all that matters?” 

Riko feels her stomach churn, churn, churn, and feels the slightest glimmer of hope.

“There’s nothing wrong with two women being lifelong companions. It’s not that out of the ordinary,” Chika continues. Riko feels an ache in her heart, realizing Chika has thought of this before, has thought of their future. 

“Chika.”

“I can support us. You can support us, too, with your art, your sewing,”

“Chika,” Riko says again, louder.

“We can set up a business, or— or— Riko, we can do anything! Because I—”

“Chika! Shut up!” Riko practically yells, and the other girl stops, looking absolutely flustered. “I love you, you absolute moron. Now kiss me.”

**Author's Note:**

> stan chikariko forever & ty to sean who asked for this piece, i am so glad to get it to you even though it's been!!!! over a year!!!!!


End file.
